Kevin Bronson on April 18th, 2011

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If your feet and legs didn’t hurt by the third day of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, you weren’t working hard enough. And you probably weren’t getting your money’s worth.

Sunday’s frenetic finale featured a hit-laden set from veterans Duran Duran – opposite, unfortunately, a magical turn by the National – as well the highly anticipated return of Death From Above 1979, hip-hop happenings from Wiz Khalifa and Tinie Tempah and strong showings from SoCal artists Foster the People, Health, OFF!, Jack’s Mannequin and Best Coast. And, of course, there was the superstar set from Kanye West, who carried a main-stage headlining performance largely by himself, and who else are you gonna call for that?

Neither overheated nor overcrowded, Coachella 2011 marked a strong comeback for a festival plagued last year by ticketing and security woes. Thanks to microchip-embedded wristbands, further expansion of the actual festival grounds, integration of shuttle services and increased security measures, Coachella was more manageable than it has been in years.

The following posts, in near-chronological order, are the final-day reports from the Buzz Bands LA squad of editor Kevin Bronson, staff writer Seraphina Lotkhamnga, contributors Richard Cromelin, Travis Woods, Ben “Mouse” McShane and Jeff Miller, along with photographers Jim Donnelly and Scott Dudelson.

Photo by Jim Donnelly